It will be a “Big Game” of newcomers when Santa Barbara and San Marcos high schools clash on Friday night in the first crosstown rivalry football game to be played at the renovated Peabody Stadium.’
The game is sold out, and Santa Barbara High officials are recommending that, given the size of the crowd, people should wear a mask.
For many of the players on both teams, this will be the first Big Game of their varsity careers. That should make things interesting in the 61st meeting between the rivals.
Santa Barbara has a 36-24 series advantage and has won the last five meetings. The last one was a 38-12 decision in 2019.
There was no season in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a scheduled contest during the five-game spring season was canceled because of a COVID-19 issue at San Marcos.
The starting quarterbacks on Friday — San Marcos senior Joaquin Sandoval and Santa Barbara sophomore Abel Renteria — both will be making their Big Game debuts. They’ve done well in their first few outings.
Sandoval has led the Royals to wins over Morro Bay (25-14) and Santa Maria (13-6). Renteria and the Dons rebounded from a season-opening 35-0 loss to Saugus with wins over Thousand Oaks (27-3) and Righetti (42-7). Renteria was stellar against Righetti, completing 17 of 18 passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two scores.
His offensive weapons in wide receivers Anthony Lopez, Trent Williams, Winston Bartley and Blake Switzer and running backs Nathan Barrios and Koa Herrera will be seeing their first extended action or making their debuts in the Big Game.
Where Santa Barbara has the edge in Big Game experience is on the line. The Dons’ offensive line is a veteran group and has played well in the last two games.
The Dons’ O-Line will be going up against a defense that will be well-prepared under San Marcos coach Ralph Molina, who also will be making his Big Game debut as a head coach.
Molina knows defense. He was the defensive coordinator on JT Stone’s Santa Barbara staff that led the Dons to an undefeated Channel League championship and the 2019 CIF-SS Division 8 final. Before that, he coached the defensive unit on Bishop Diego teams that made several deep runs in the CIF playoffs.
The defense was key in the Royals’ grind-it-out win at Santa Maria two weeks ago, intercepting five passes.
Santa Barbara’s defense has made tremendous strides since the opening-game loss to Saugus. The return of outside linebacker Grant Gonzales provided a spark in the win over Righetti. It was a big hit by Gonzales that knocked the Righetti quarterback out of the game in the first quarter.
The Dons’ defense will face a San Marcos offense that has some playmakers.
Sandoval, a standout catcher on the Royals’ Channel League-champion baseball team, hasn’t put up big statistics, but he’s followed the game plan and shown good leadership in their two wins. He’s joined in the back field by big-play running back Andre McCullough, who’s rushed for more than 100 yards in both games and has touchdown runs of 51 and 76 yards.
McCullough also will be making his Big Game debut.
Another weapon for the Royals is wide receiver/returner Lance Bermudes, a senior who has Big Game experience from 2019.
This will be the first non-league meeting between the Dons and Royals in decades. In the one remaining year of a two-year releaguing plan that created a Channel-Pacific View League Association for football, Santa Barbara is in the Channel League and San Marcos in the Pacific View League this season.
This could be the closest Big Game in several years. Santa Barbara has played a tougher schedule, which has helped its defense get better. Renteria is playing with confidence and control, and the offensive line is dominating the line of scrimmage.
The Pick: Santa Barbara.
Here is a look at this week’s other games:
Thursday
Channel Islands (0-3) at Carpinteria (0-2), 7 p.m. — The Warriors cleaned up a lot of mistakes and played well in a two-point loss against St. Monica. Quarterback Matthew Munoz and receiver Dominic Herrera have developed a nice passing combination. Channel Islands has allowed 137 points in its three games and hasn’t won in 26 games. The Pick: Carpinteria.
Friday
Dos Pueblos (0-2) at Buena (1-2), 7 p.m. — Dos Pueblos was hurt by turnovers in a 30-14 loss against Ventura. The Chargers need their skill-position players to help out quarterback Jordan Rico to keep the offense on the field. Buena stopped a two-point conversion to earn a 28-27 win over Agoura last week. The Bulldogs have been putting points on the board. The Pick: Buena.
Bishop Diego (2-0) at Redondo Union (0-2), radio: AM 1290, 7 p.m. — The Cardinals, ranked 41st in the state by Calpreps.com, make their first road and play a Redondo team that has score scored only three points.The Seahawks were shut out by Simi Valley last week, 35-0. The Pick: Bishop Diego.
Santa Maria (1-1) at Santa Ynez (2-1), 7 p.m. — Santa Ynez won a grind-it-out 10-7 game against a tough Nordhoff squad. The Pirates’ offense should open things up against a Santa Maria squad that has struggled to get into the end zone. The Pick: Santa Ynez.
Lompoc (3-0) at Arroyo Grande (1-2), 7 p.m. — The Arroyo Grande defense has allowed 53 and 47 points in its last two games against teams from Bakersfield. Lompoc’s speed on offense and special teams has been too much for its first three opponents. It will be no different against the Eagles. The Pick: Lompoc.
Royal (1-1) at Cabrillo (0-2), 7 p.m. — The Conquistadores can keep this one close. The Pick: Royal.